Annabelle
Director: John Leonetti
Starring: Ward Horton, Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard
99 mins; Class 15;
Eden Cinemas Release
My favourite horror film of last year was The Conjuring, a well-executed, character-driven spine-chiller which dealt with a case handled by real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
That film also featured a brief cameo by Annabelle, a rather unnerving doll which two young women believe to be possessed, as they nervously explain to the Warrens in a expository scene that served as an introduction to the protagonists.
That same scene is used to introduce Annabelle, for brief though its appearance was in The Conjuring, it was memorable enough for the doll to merit its own film, which purports to deal with Annabelle’s origins.
We are introduced to a young couple, John and Mia Form, (Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis), who live a seemingly perfect life in 1970s suburban America.
Mia is expecting their first child and John gifts her with a rare, vintage doll in a pure, white wedding dress with a lovely, red sash to add to her collection.
The couple’s idyllic life is shattered when one night they are brutally attacked by members of a satanic cult. The couple survive; yet a malevolent entity seemingly hell-bent on destroying Mia is left behind – and it seems to be using Annabelle as a conduit.
The main protagonists are too thinly sketched
Although the Warrens did deal with this doll in their investigations, Annabelle is very loosely based on their experiences, and consequently proves to be a very poor sequel, having none of the traits that made The Conjuring so good, that is, relatable characters, a strong narrative and effective scares.
The main protagonists are too thinly-sketched, leaving Horton and Wallis with little to do to make the characters more interesting.
Wallis carries the film for the most part, but the character is so wooden and uninteresting she is frozen with the same anguished expression throughout, and Horton has little to do but turn up whenever his wife is in danger to offer empty words of comfort.
Tony Amendola as a sympathetic priest who confronts the evil (to his detriment) and Alfre Woodard as a neighbour who befriends Annabelle (the human, not the doll) are side-lined for the most part with very little to do.
As for the plot itself, little is explained about the cult whose members attack the Forms, their motives and ultimately their connection to the malice that prevails, leaving things a little too murky for something that is supposed to be offering backstory.
For a horror film, the scares are scarce, and when they do come they are fairly feeble, not to say obvious, the atmosphere ratcheted up by the frenzied strings that explode on the soundtrack.